The driver of a northbound semi-truck that was hauling “flammable material” has died following a single-vehicle crash along the Alaska Highway about an hour north of Fort Nelson, B.C.
Northern B.C. RCMP said police responded to a report of a crash involving a propane tanker truck at 4:43 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Police said the truck was on fire and the highway was “completed blocked.” Witnesses to the scene told RCMP they saw a “fireball” and heard exploding sounds.
A press release issued by Northern Rockies RCMP on Jan. 20 indicates the truck failed to stop at a mandatory brake check in the area of Highway 97 near Steamboat Hill.
The scene couldn’t be accessed until firefighters secured the scene, as noted in the release. In the aftermath, the driver was found dead.
An investigation is underway as investigators work to determine causal factors, state the RCMP. BC Coroners Service, Fire Services, Environment Canada and Transport Canada are involved.
The driver hasn’t been identified.
After being closed for over 24 hours, the stretch of highway, has reopened Wednesday morning around 6:40 a.m. Pacific time, according to a road report from Public Services and Procurement Canada and DriveBC.
The road runs from Dawson Creek, B.C., to the Alaska border near Beaver Creek, Yukon, in Canada.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com